{"id":572,"date":"2016-01-02T12:21:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-02T12:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5722.temp.domains\/~audioor1\/can-you-produce-music-on-a-raspberry-pi-2\/"},"modified":"2020-11-16T19:21:09","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T19:21:09","slug":"can-you-produce-music-on-raspberry-pi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/audioordeal.co.uk\/can-you-produce-music-on-raspberry-pi\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Produce Music on a Raspberry Pi?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The\u00a0Raspberry Pi<\/a> is a tiny (think cigarette packet-sized) computer designed to be cheap and easy to use for projects, and music production is no exception.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(This article has been updated to include the latest links and information)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally made as tool to teach computer science on the cheap, the Raspberry Pi<\/a> has inspired millions of projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are available for around \u00a310-60 (depending on the model) and are awesome to have, even as just a small backup computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are, of course, downsides to a system that small, it lacks significant processing power for any major scale work. Even the recommended operating systems tend to be smaller versions of Linux.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That said, with the latest models (the Raspberry Pi 4<\/a> and the Raspberry Pi 400<\/a>), the processing power has gone up quite a bit. The latest models are even effective computers for basic users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the question one might ask is it powerful enough to produce music on it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEE ALSO: Raspberry Pi synth: A list of the coolest DIY projects<\/a>
SEE ALSO: Can You DJ with a Raspberry Pi?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the Raspberry Pi to produce music<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even back when this article first came out, the answer was yes, you can produce music on a Raspberry Pi. Now, things have got even better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Raspberry Pi has come a long way since this guide was originally written. Processing power and the number of operating systems it can support are much improved and the amount of community support is enough for even the biggest noobs to solve their problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the best options for producing music with a Raspberry Pi is Non<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Developer by Jonathan Liles, an American software architect and musician<\/a> set out to make a DAW under the aim of it being “fast, light, [and] reliable”. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has developed a modular DAW<\/a> great for use on small computers, such as the Raspberry Pi itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Best of all, Non is entirely FREE<\/em><\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non, the DAW that works on the Raspberry Pi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At 43k lines of code, Non an impressive example of efficiency. Getting most software in that size is admirable, let alone a fully functioning DAW. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He aims to maintain the simplicity throughout the life of Non. \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Non Mixer under Non Session Manager with an orchestral mix in E17. Credit<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Non differs from other DAWs in its modular nature; each component can work independently of the others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Originally designed as the Non-Sequencer, when Liles encountered difficulty with the available resources, he kicked the project into gear using\u00a0JACK<\/a>, a low-latency sound server. \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non<\/a> comes with several modular packages: \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n